What an Experience so Far!

Well, my intention to have Jace and Jayden keep a travel journal went down the drain. I think I was treating this like an educational opportunity, getting them to practice thinking and writing skills. However, I didn’t want to nag them, and we were doing a lot of reflecting after each of our trips. We have been to Boston, Philadelphia, and half of our Washington D.C. travels so far. Tonight we discussed their reflections. Here are some of their thoughts:

• So far in Washington D.C., walking up to the top of the Capitol was the most amazing experience for Jace and Jayden. They learned that it took lots of effort and skill to be able to build, work, and do the artwork on the dome. Jayden shared that he was petrified of falling, but going up the 300 stairs and finishing the trip all the way up and down helped him with his fear of heights. Jayden was happy that his brother gave him confidence to finish and to take the stairs on. That helped him a lot. Jace was excited to make it all the way to the top and to see the amazing view of Washington D.C. and buildings like the Washington Monument and the Supreme Court. Jace was wondering how the workers felt to be working on and fixing the dome, standing on such a tiny ledge! He probably wouldn’t want to do that job!
• Both boys are respectful of the patriots who risked their lives so people in America could have less dangerous and greater lives where they could do what they liked without being afraid.  If Jace and Jayden had been living back then, it might have been a difficult decision on how much to get involved with the patriots. They feel that it was unfair for the King to rule over America when he was so far away in England.  Walking on the Freedom Trail and being in Independence Hall made Jace and Jayden realize that they are grateful for the soldiers who fought for the 13 colonies against the British because we would not be living in our country today if they had not done so.
• Jace and Jayden learned that Congress makes laws that are good for the country and they should be working together to get the job done. Right now according to the news, they are fighting each other and not getting things done for our country. Jace knew about the three branches of government, and that no one has complete power over the U.S. So they feel that Congress should be working together for the people and the President should be doing so, too.

Learning about those who fought to form our country has been an eye-opening experience for Jace and Jayden. They are learning about history, government, and famous people like George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John F. Kennedy who have helped America become a better place for everyone including them and all of their friends and family. Tomorrow, the boys will learn about Abraham Lincoln who was the President who ended slavery and kept our country together. They are excited; Abraham Lincoln is one of their heroes, and they read books about him. 

Choosing Experiences Over Things

I recently read a blog, “7 Reasons Why Spending Money on Experiences Makes Us Happier than Buying Stuff,”  It’s something I never thought about before, but it certainly makes sense.  Coincidentally, when Randy and I retired, we decided to take a trip with our son and grandsons, and that trip is almost here!

Justin and the boys don’t live in Hawaii; they moved to Las Vegas about 8 years ago, so we only see them about 3 times a year. It is hard; I know we are missing out on so many of their activities. Phone calls, FaceTime, or texts are nice but being there would definitely be nicer. We thought about different places we could go, and we decided that Jace and Jayden should experience our country first before traveling to a foreign country.

Randy named our trip the RCW Tour - Revolutionary Civil War Tour. He is a history buff and wants the boys to learn about our country’s history and government, so we decided to visit Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington DC traveling by Amtrak between the cities. Once an educator, always an educator so I already informed the boys that they will be keeping a reflective journal. We will have discussions each day and allow Jace and Jayden time to share their learnings and memories in their journal. They’ve decided to create a slide show so they can include photos they plan to take with their phones. It is our hope that after this trip, our grandsons will be more aware of our country’s history and to be proud to live in the USA.

Since we will be on the East Coast, we will spend a few days in Orlando. I’m sure Jace and Jayden will love this part of the trip! We’ll spend two days at Disney World and one day at Universal Studios before heading back to Las Vegas.

We will be making memories. I cannot wait!

I Did It 😊

It’s almost a year since I retired back on June 30, 2018. At the time, I didn’t have any goals for myself except to enjoy this new phase of my life. Yes, I planned to do some cleaning up around the house, go to the gym more regularly, spend more time with the family, go on long walks with our dog, and relax. I did all that.

I also wrote a book. 😊

The book is titled Leading with Aloha: From the Pineapple Fields to the Principal’s Office and it shares how my life as a kid growing up in a pineapple plantation village as well as my experiences as a teacher, a wife, and a parent influenced my core values and beliefs which then impacted how I led our school, Daniel K. Inouye Elementary, for over fifteen wonderful and memorable years.

I was thinking about writing a book before I retired even though I didn’t have a firm grasp on what I would write about. My book evolved after receiving valuable feedback from others. Eventually, though, the final manuscript was mine - my experiences, my ideas, my book.

I knew that I wanted to go with a local publisher so I met with George from Legacy Isle Publishing.  I liked that their company publishes “Hawai`i’s stories” and that they would provide guidance and support through the process. George shared that they hadn’t published a book by an educator before; that gave me the motivation to continue the painstaking process of revising and editing my manuscript.

I learned a lot, not just about the process, but about myself. I learned that I can persevere on a project that took nearly a year and many drafts and revisions to complete. Writing a book takes commitment and determination, and there were times when I wondered if I should/could continue. I’m glad I didn’t give up. It was difficult for me to ask others to read my early drafts and to provide me with feedback because I knew that everyone has commitments and things to do. I am grateful that I took that step out of my comfort zone because the comments and questions I received really helped me to hone in on why I chose to write a book. Additionally, so often, we in the education world assume that the general public knows what we are talking about when we use acronyms or educational phrases. My husband Randy used to tell his Public Utilities Commission staff: explain it to me like you’re talking to the person at the bus stop. He reminded me that non-educators might not be familiar with “educalese” so I needed to explain the terminology that might not be familiar to readers.

The book is now at the printer and is available for preorder now. It will be available at bookstores in early July. The next step for me is promoting the book; I know this is a necessary part of being an author. This blog post is the first step in sharing about my book, Leading with Aloha, and I’ve created a website to share a bit more about my background and about my first book. There will be a book-signing later this summer at Barnes & Noble, Ala Moana Center, and hopefully, there will be other opportunities for me to connect with the public to share my book.

This is an exciting time for my family and me. I never thought that I’d add “author” to my name, but now that my first book is being published, I am an author. Who knows? Maybe I’ll write another book in the future.

The Difference a Teacher Makes

This past Friday was the 100th birthday of a special lady whom I had the privilege to meet last year at our family reunion in San Jose. Kathleen Lloyd is the mother of a cousin’s husband, and she and other family members who live in the area joined our Amemiya clan to share stories and make new memories. When I was introduced to Kathleen, she shared that she had been Facebook friends with our son Jarand who had recently passed away. I immediately invited Kathleen to be my friend on Facebook. She accepted. 😊

I was scrolling through my FB feed on Friday and saw this post from Carol Conway. It resonated with me; I wasn’t aware that Kathleen had been a teacher in her younger days. I read that post several times and knew that I wanted to share it. I messaged Carol, and she agreed to let me use her post in my blog. Thanks, Carol! 👍 Here it is:

Do you remember 5th grade?  For me, it was 1973-74, my father had died the year before and my mom, I'm sure, was struggling to keep us in our Mill Valley home.  (She succeeded - thanks Mom!)

My fifth grade teacher celebrated her 100th birthday today, (and she's on Facebook!) so I tried to pry a few memories from the dark recesses of my creaky brain.  

I remember the  garden that Mrs Lloyd started on our school grounds.  She taught us about growing food in unyielding soil.   I remember learning how to do batik and making a lovely Douglas Iris on a purple background, which I turned in to a pillow.  I remember going to Cronkhite beach to gather pebbles to make mosaics, and finding a single carnelian which I used to make the eye of the snail I created.

In 5th grade I remember competing with Geoff Barnard for the highest level in SRA - and winning.   Mrs. Lloyd,  I can picture the classroom, the tall windows facing south, and you sitting in front with an open book, looking out at us between paragraphs.  I loved being read to - I have no surviving memories of what you were reading, but it was a quiet time for me when my world was tumbly, and I enjoyed it.

Mrs. Lloyd, I hope that you had a birthday full of the things and the people that you love.  I hope that you know that your students felt loved and protected in your class, and that you made a difference.  And I know that I speak for my brothers as well - David before me, Jeff after - you mattered to us.

Happy Birthday!

As I read and re-read this tribute to a beautiful teacher, I had a few aha's. First, 1973-1974 was my first year of teaching. I was just getting started in my career while Mrs. Lloyd was making lasting memories with her students. The second thing I noticed was that Carol remembers things like gardening and art and field trips. There's nothing in there about test scores or academics. (Hmm. . . what will students remember about their teachers 45 years from now?) Carol mentions SRA levels, something I remember from my 7th grade Reading class where, like her, I quietly competed to get to the highest level before anyone else. (Someone beat me; I was second, but once I was done, I got to read whatever I wanted to in that class.) Lastly, Carol's recollection of being read to was so touching. Mrs. Lloyd was reading aloud to her students in the fifth grade, and Carol cherished and needed that quiet time when her world was "tumbly." (In today's classrooms, read-aloud time is often eliminated as teachers rush to "cover" the curriculum, but students may need that time to settle their "tumbly" world.)

This lovely post spoke volumes about the positive impact of a teacher on a student, one who was going through emotional challenges. 45 years later, this student shared these fond memories, and I am sure Mrs. Lloyd was touched. Henry Adams said it best: "A teacher affects eternity. He can never tell where his influence ends." 

Thank you, Carol, for sharing your memories of your fifth grade teacher on Facebook! What a gift to all of us!

This was a photo taken at our family reunion in 2018.

Mrs. Lloyd is somewhat hidden in this photo, but she is there in the second row from the back.

Good Job, Dr. Kishimoto!

I may be retired, but once an educator, always an educator.

It's that time of the year when Honolulu Magazine publishes their annual public school grades. I haven't seen this year's issue yet, but I did read an article by current Superintendent Christina Kishimoto, and I applaud her for sharing her thoughts in "Grade everybody or grade no one, but be fair to public schools." Finally, someone is speaking up about the injustice of grading public schools using test scores as the measure of success.

Four years ago, I wrote this blog titled, "Grading Our Public Schools." As the principal of our school, I was proud of our teachers and our students. I knew that everyone was invested in providing our students with an education that would help our students to navigate their world.

Our public schools are vastly different from private schools; I have worked in Title I schools, military-impacted schools, and an upper-middle income school. I also worked for several summers at a private school. We cannot compare the challenges that each public school faces. Using performance data only to grade schools is demeaning to all the staff at schools who are working so hard to show their students that they care and who encourage them to make the most of their opportunities. Dr. Kishimoto mentions a high school that is showing growth and despite their geographical isolation, has qualified for the FIRST Robotics world championship. Additionally, students at this school are taking dual college and high school credits in record numbers. Yet, they are graded an "F" in the ratings by Honolulu Magazine. I know that when schools are not recognized for their growth, their innovative ideas to engage students, or their positive school culture, it can be demoralizing.

Educators are optimists; we believe in our students. We want the best for them because we know that we are preparing them for their future. I suggest that Honolulu Magazine devote a section in each issue to focus on great things going on in our public schools. I also believe that if more people spent time volunteering in public schools, they would see how each school is different and how each one is addressing the needs of their students in creative, engaging, and empowering ways. We need the public to be more involved in our schools; maybe then, the perception will change.

Let’s Get Moving on Universal Preschool in Hawaii

I am frustrated. As an early childhood major and a Head Start teacher for 15 years before moving over to the Department of Education, I know there is a need for universal preschool. This morning, I read an article in the Star Advertiser titled, “Push & pull over preschool.” Clearly, we still have no real plan and a lack of funding to make universal preschool a reality for those students who need it most.

This is not a new issue. In 1989, the Berman Report recommended universal preschool in Hawaii. At the time, I wrote a letter to then-Lieutenant Governor Ben Cayetano who was the chairperson of the Child Care Task Force. I was so hopeful that all of our kids would benefit by having positive preschool experiences, and I wrote him to express some of my concerns regarding staffing, the cost of maintaining a quality learning environment, and the availability of suitable facilities. I realized that establishing universal preschool would require a transition, and that our State was not yet prepared..

Since then, very little has been done. Yes, there is an Executive Office on Early Learning and a few preschools have been established in public schools across the State. A few families applied for Preschool Open Doors and qualified to have part of their tuition paid using a sliding scale. But we went backwards when the State Legislature changed the age to begin kindergarten. Starting with the 2013-2014 school year, students needed to be five years old by the first day of school, so the cutoff date to begin kindergarten was changed from December 31 to July 31. This meant that if parents could not afford to send their child to a preschool program, that child who was born after the cut-off date would have to wait a whole year to begin kindergarten. That is one year of learning lost. In Stability and Change in Human Characteristics (1964), Benjamin Bloom stated that half of the growth in intelligence is made between birth and age four. Research shows that the early years are crucial to a child’s development, and a quality preschool program will provide students with opportunities to learn through exploration, problem-solving, collaboration, and discovery. Yet, here we are 30 years later, and we are still trying to figure out how to provide universal preschool for our youngsters in Hawaii..

Here are my ideas:

• I have seen the benefits of preschool opportunities for children from low-income families. Perhaps more Title I schools could agree to host a Head Start program on their campus if space is available. Some schools are partnering to provide inclusive classrooms where students with special needs are in classrooms with typically-developing Head Start students. The DOE preschool teacher and educational assistant partner with the Head Start teaching staff to provide a quality program for all of the students. This is a win-win for students from both programs. 
• If Head Start is not an option, the school can opt to have a similar program with the preschool special education staff and DOE-hired staff who are trained in early childhood education.  
• Title I schools are not the only ones who should qualify for preschools on public school campuses. Daniel K. Inouye Elementary was not a Title I school, but there was a definite need for a preschool program. According to data, less than half of our students had some preschool experience because of a lack of space at the center on-base. Additionally, when families transitioned into our area, the Child Care Center already had a lengthy waiting list.  
• If schools have the space and an identified need for a preschool, and if the State can provide funding for start-up costs as well as any capital improvements to ensure that the school meets the licensing requirements, perhaps the school could then use weighted student formula funding to purchase staff. The school would then determine details such as the number of students in the program, half-day or full-day program, and expectations for parents.
• Perhaps the EOEL could look for preschool sites that are not on DOE campuses to expand the program. For example, there is a Head Start classroom at Kahauiki Village, the homeless community in Honolulu. There is a definite need for preschools for those students; perhaps a nearby facility could be transformed for that purpose. 

I am positive that the Department of Education and the Executive Office on Early Learning can figure things out by discussing this issue. Right now, there is a learning gap and students who are able to attend preschool begin kindergarten with the readiness skills to be successful. Students with no preschool experience may likely start kindergarten at a disadvantage that may impact their learning.

All students deserve the same opportunities. Let's problem-solve to make universal preschool happen for all our keiki.

What is Happening?

One of my favorite quotes is a Native American proverb: “We don’t inherit this world from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”  As a parent, a grandparent, an educator, and someone who believes in leaving this world a better place for our children, I am concerned about the state of our nation and our world.

What happened to common decency, to treating others respectfully even if we don’t agree on an issue?  We teach our children about respecting other people’s opinions and how we sometimes need to listen to what they're saying and why they believe as they do. We tell them we can argue about an issue, but we still treat the other person respectfully. When there is disagreement, we can compromise and move ahead for the good of all. We don’t condone name calling, and we ask children to put themselves in the other person’s shoes, to be empathetic to someone else because we don’t know the  challenges they are facing on the path they are walking.

At our school, we focused on teaching students tolerance, inclusiveness, and aloha. We realized the great impact we can have on our students' lives by showing them that open discussions can lead to deeper acceptance of others' ideas. We worked to include and accept all students and to listen to their viewpoints when there was disagreement. We would quickly address any concerns before it became a problem, and we would never condone mob mentality where kids might get caught up in participating in actions they inherently knew were wrong. We used conflict resolution and delved deeper to find the root of the problem so the parties could move forward. We taught our students about the need to be careful that what we post on social media today is something we will not regret later.

As a nation, we can disagree on policies and politics, but we nevertheless should treat others with respect. We can argue our points vigorously, yet shake hands at the end of the day and seek to understand the other person’s viewpoint. A difference of opinion doesn't mean that one side is right and the other is wrong; it means there can be a better outcome as a result of listening to another viewpoint and working together to find a better solution. Social media is a great tool for sharing ideas and to virtually connect with a wider audience, but our posts need to be respectful. And name-calling by adults is totally unacceptable; in fact, it is childish. 

We have so many problems that impact our nation and our world including climate change, wars and conflict, poverty, racial divide, and economic challenges. We should be working together to make our world a better place, not causing a deeper divide between our people. We owe it to our children to leave them a better world than the one we inherited. Let's work together to make it happen.